The Six Princes
by Little Sakura-chan
Summary: What can you expect when each of our six lovable princes analyze their not necessarily romantic feelings for a certain not-so-much of a princess? And how does the so called princess feel?
1. Chapter 1: Kyouya

**Beginning Note:** I've totally been into Ouran lately, so please forgive me that I haven't finished or started some of my other things! This is a short chapter fic that I came up with. It's each host club member analyzing his (not necessarily romantic) feelings for our extremely rare type of heroine and said heroine's feelings about the host members.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. They are the rightful property of Bisco Hatori.

**A/N:** I happen to be a huge fan of the Kyouya/Haruhi coupling as well as the Mori/Haruhi coupling, but volume 9 of the manga makes me question one of the character's sexuality. It makes me kind of sad! For once, I'm not big on the seemingly intended coupling of Tamaki/Haruhi. Please no hating me for that! Please enjoy this story and review! Oh! And each chapter will be in first person. I hope I got Kyouya's personality okay. He might be a little OOC. (I love him and Mori sooooo much!! I recommend the story, _The Shomin Experience_ by­­­­­­ sakuraichigo. A million thumbs up!)

**Update Status: **I will update this story once a week, every week until it is complete! I promise or at least I'll try!! Happy reading!

_The Six Princes _ Chapter 1: Kyouya

It was noisy in the clubroom today. Unusually slow in my thinking, I looked at my familiar black ledger and realized why all the girls were excited and why the idiot, otherwise known as Tamaki, was more hyper that usual. Our newest plan had been revealed to everyone when we opened the club up for business.

The commoner's carnival had been Tamaki's idea and was costing the host club a fortune. I had tried to talk him out of it, but ever since Haruhi had told them what it was like when she was little, he had been obsessing over the idea. I glanced at the storyteller.

The girl was talking quietly with her customers, a soft smile gracing her gentle features. A lock of her hair fell into her eyes and she shook her head to try and move it, but only proceeded to have more hair fall into her face. She raised a slender, pale hand and tucked the offending locks behind her ear. As if sensing that I was looking at her, she raised her eyes to meet mine and grinned shyly at me, but managing to look wary at the same time. I didn't know that was possible…

I blinked and pushed my glasses further up my nose. I broke out eye contact to write a note in my ledger. While I knew my exterior was calm, my mind and my heart were racing. Since when I had noticed what Haruhi did? The exception was when I found something to add to her debt? I found myself watching her a lot lately. And since when had she made me feel so… I paused in amazement, my pen hovering over the plans for the carnival.

Flustered. Haruhi made me feel flustered. I didn't even think that word was in my vocabulary. I fought the urge to burst into hysterical laughter. It would be an absurd idea if I, Ootori Kyouya, were in love with someone so unintentionally cruel. Or was it? I came to the conclusion that-

"Kyouya-senpai?

I nearly fell off my chair in surprise. The very object of my suffering was only a few feet away, gazing into my eyes with a concerned look. Opening my mouth to say something, the forming lump in my stomach moved into my throat and I began to cough.

"Senpai?" Haruhi asked, alarmed. She rushed to close the gap between us and put her hand on my arm. It was like an electric shock. "Senpai, are you all right?

"…"

Well, this was certainly flattering. I was coughing like I had smoker's lung and tears were streaming down my face. A surprising girly handkerchief appeared in front of me and I heard the soft 'click' of glass on wood.

"Kyouya-senpai, please drink some water. And here's my handkerchief to wipe your face," the girl said softly.

I gratefully gulped down the water, not caring what I looked like and felt relieved when I felt the scratchiness as well the lump in my throat disappear.

"Handkerchief," Haruhi prompted, still holding it out to me.

I reached out to take the flimsy, lacey thing that, no doubt, Ranka had forced on her. It, of course, did not suit Haruhi's taste at all. As I brought that soft cloth to my face, I inhaled. It smelled like her, of home. I was a mixture of lavender and a smell that I had always associated with Haruhi. A comforting, homey kind of smell. Something I had never known.

"Thank you, Haruhi," I said briskly and business-like, carefully folding the handkerchief and putting it in my packet.

"Uh, Kyouya-senpai," she began hesitantly. "My handkerchief?"

"I will have it laundered and returned to you tomorrow," I said, glancing around the room quickly.

Tamaki threw a concerned look at my, but was swamped with customers, so he couldn't come over to bother me. The twins were occupied with themselves. No surprise there, but Hikaru kept sneaking peeks at Haruhi. He was so obvious about his feelings for Haruhi it was borderline pathetic. Hanii was blinking sleepily up at one of his customers, causing her to squeal annoyingly. I was surprised to see Mori watching Haruhi and me with slightly narrowed eyes. Hmmm. That was interesting. I turned my gaze back to the girl before me. She was pale.

"Um, my debt…"

"Will not be raised," I assured her, and then wondered why I had said that. I usually added on to her debt, no matter how trivial the cost.

She relaxed visibly and I felt a twinge of annoyance and hurt. Did she really only think of me as someone who was so cruel-hearted? I reflected about it for a split second, and realized why she would. God, was I really that big of a jerk?

"Well," Haruhi said, smiling brilliantly. "I have throat drops in my bag. Would you like one to make your throat feel better?"

I thought for a second. Why not? I wouldn't kill me to have a commoner throat drop. It was also one more commoner thing I would have that Tamaki wouldn't. Jeez. I really am cruel. And apparently possessive over nothing.

"I would appreciate one very much, Haruhi."

"Okay! Let me just get it," she said, heading to the room where we kept out school bags.

I stood up and she stopped, confused.

"I'll accompany you," I said, walking past her.

"You don't really need to, Kyouya-senpai," she said, appearing at my side.

What could I say? I shrugged slightly and noticed her smile a little.

"What is so amusing, Haruhi?" I asked dryly and opened the door, a little annoyed that she was laughing at me.

"Nothing," the forcibly cross-dressed girl said, rummaging through her bag that she had just picked up after going past me. "You just don't seem to be the type of person who shrugs."

"Wait!" came Tamaki's voice. "Kyouya? Haru-"

I let the door shut, cutting off the idiot's voice and locked it. Haruhi turned at the sound of the lock clicking. She looked startled.

"Senpai, why the lock?"

I sighed and removed my glasses, rubbing the bridge of my nose delicately. The commoner's carnival was taking a toll on me. I was unbelievably tired. I couldn't recall the last time I worked so hard on a host club project.

"So you'd be able to find what you're looking for in peace."

"Oh."

"Throat drop," I reminded her.

She jumped and continued to search her bag. Her hand finally resurfaced, a wrapped object between her thumb and forefinger.

"Got it!" she exclaimed triumphantly and held it out to me. "Here you go, Kyouya-senpai."

I took the throat drop, unwrapped it, and carefully popped it into my mouth. The soothing, cool taste relieved my throat immediately.

"Thank you, Haruhi. These work surprisingly well."

"Some things might just surprise you sometimes, senpai," she said, unlocking the door. She glanced up at me, a kind smile on her subtly feminine features. "You look tired. Take a break from carnival planning. Don't run yourself ragged."

I stared after her in surprise. I didn't think she would notice something as insignificant as that when the others didn't. Mori had perhaps, but he wasn't one to say much. Haruhi paused before she stepped back out into the noisy clubroom. She assessed me for a moment, head cocked cutely to the side.

"You look nice without your glasses, Kyouya-senpai," she commented. "You look less severe."

She let the door shut behind her softly. I could hear her abrasively telling Tamaki what we had been doing. He was probably having a heart attack. What an idiot…

I knew I should emerge from the room, but I was rooted to the spot. Glancing at my glasses in my hand, I put them back on my nose.

_You look nice without your glasses, Kyouya-senpai._

I grinned. Something I never thought would happen did. Who would have thought that I would ever fall in love? Especially with a minimally attractive (or that what I usually told myself) girl with a completely blunt personality. Strange occurrences certainly happened often in the host club.

"Yes, indeed, Haruhi. Some things might just surprise you," I said quietly to here from behind the door, knowing there was no way she would ever hear me.

I opened the bag room door and stepped back into my business-self and tucked my intimate moment with Haruhi in the back of my mind. I would analyze my feelings in the privacy of my own room.

"Kyouyaaaaaaa!" Tamaki rushed up to me, teary-eyed. "Haruhi is being mean to Daddy! Tell her to stop!"

I glanced at Tamaki's and my 'daughter'. She scowled, looking annoyed. I sighed.

"Idiot," I muttered to Tamaki.

"Ehhhh! Kyouyaaaa!" he whined.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Haruhi giggle and I stifled a smile.

"Even Kyouya has no sympathy for you, Tono," chorused Kaoru and Hikaru, sliding over.

"Poor Tama-chan," cooed Hanii, hugging Usa-chan. "No support from anyone!"

Mori's eyes crinkled in a smile.

Tamaki looked at us tearfully.

"Ah, senpai, you're such an idiot," I heard Haruhi breathe.

It was back to business as usual.

**A/N:** Thanks for reading the first installment of _The Six Princes_! I hope that you will review and come back to read the next six chapters! Thank you sooooo much! I love you all!


	2. Chapter 2: Kaoru

**Beginning Note:** This story will go fairly fast because I have already written the rest of the chapters! Yay for thinking ahead! This normally doesn't happen. I confess that I'm a total slacker and usually wait until I've finished typing and posting to start my next chapter. Not the case here. Trust me, this will never happen again. Okay. Back to important things. The characters don't move in a certain order. It's just who I happened to feel like writing that day. The first chapter was only Kyouya because I had originally planned on it being a Kyouya/Haruhi drabble, then this idea popped into my head. Said drabble was scratched, but might possible resurface sometime in the future! Please read, review, and enjoy!! Happy reading!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. They are the rightful property of Bisco Hatori. The story itself, however, is completely the workings of my brilliant mind. (cough) Not really.

**The Six Princes** Chapter 2: Kaoru

Intrusive. 'Intruding where one is not really welcome or invited.' That's how the dictionary defines being intrusive. I sighed heavily as I shut the large, moldy tome in front of me and glanced up. My mirror image was leaning back on the library chair he was in, looking bored.

"This is stupid," Hikaru said. "What am I supposed to do while you look up words in the dumb dictionary?"

He was whining. And he was only doing it because he knew it annoyed me to no end. His body jerked forward as he let the chair he was on fall so that all four legs rested evenly on the floor.

"How come you wouldn't let me see that you were looking up?" asked Hikaru dejectedly.

"No reason," I replied.

"Then why?"

Before I could open my mouth to answer him, a voice rang out.

"Hikaru? Kaoru? What are you doing here?"

I saw Hikaru's face perk up instantly.

"Haruhi!" he exclaimed excitedly, draping himself over her thin shoulders. "Kaoru was looking up something but he wouldn't show me!" He pouted.

Haruhi looked at me quickly, probably wondering why I didn't plaster myself to her like Hikaru and I normally did. She laughed as Hikaru said something to her.

_We don't need to share everything or do everything together._

That was what I was going to say before Haruhi interrupted me. And it was the truth. I watched the slight, mostly unfeminine girl in front of me. I was slowly, but surely losing Hikaru and she was the reason.

It was obvious that Hikaru liked Haruhi very much. I could see it and I knew that he had realized his feelings. He usually told me everything, but this was one of the very few things that he had chosen not to tell me. It hurt a little, but there wasn't much I could do about it.

He was immature about his feelings among many things, but he had chosen the right person to fall in love with. While Haruhi's personality was a little… blunt, she appreciated Hikaru for who he was as an individual, tantrums and all. It had been 'us' for so long that we forgot how to be individuals. She was able to truly tell us apart and see us for who we truthfully were. Because of that, we've gained back some of our lost individuality.

Haruhi was a good friend to us despite how selfish we tended to be. I guess that's what being a generally good person is like.

She was actually the reason I was looking up the word intrusive in the dictionary. Hikaru and I have lived in our own private bubble for a majority of our lives and tried to keep as many people as possible out of them. We were unusually successful until Tono. Then Haruhi broke down anything that we had left of our meticulously constructed wall just by being able to tell us apart with a single glance. It is still sometimes difficult for our own parents to tell us apart and this girl just walked accidentally walked into the clubroom and instantaneously was able to tell us apart. She unintentionally intruded into our content world and in many ways I'm grateful to Haruhi for that.

With the addition of Haruhi to the host club, Hikaru and I have slowly drifted apart. He now has people he can talk to besides Haruhi, the host club and me. It's not a large gap between us, but it's there. It exists and I can feel the small space grow wider as time goes on. I've realized this, even if Hikaru has yet to see it. I know that sooner or later, that small space will expand into an abyss until we are two separate beings and we are unable to bridge the breach. We will no longer be a collective unit, but two disconnected individuals that are easy to distinguish between one another, regardless of appearance.

I was jealous of Hikaru in a way. Not because he loved Haruhi. She was only a friend in my eyes. No, not because of that, but because of his innocence and ignorance. He didn't have to feel that pain of the process he was yet to become aware of. I, however, had a part of myself being rubbed raw by our mounting distance.

I regretted our separation a little, but not a lot. Individual freedom will be beneficial for the both of us.

"Kaoru? Are you okay?"

Haruhi startled me out of my inner monologue.

"What?"

"You seemed deep in thought," she observed, her clear brown eyes keeping eye contact with mine.

"Probably daydreaming," muttered Hikaru, grinning impishly at me.

I matched his grin and twinned my arms around Haruhi's slender waist.

"It's exactly as Hikaru says," I told her, placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

Hikaru followed suit. She, on the other hand, looked unfazed. I chuckled. It was amazing how quickly she accepted our bizarre behavior.

"Come," Hikaru and I chorused, leading her out of the library, ignoring her protests that she needed to find a book. "Let's go annoy Tono with the beauty of our close friendship."

Haruhi was unable to contain her laughter as we stepped into the crowded hall, fan girls staring at us enviously.

I turned my head and glimpsed the dictionary that I had abandoned on the table. It looked lonely.

I smiled.

Tomorrow, I would look up the word freedom.

**A/N:** Okay, so this chapter appears to be more about Kaoru's feelings about he and Hikaru, but these feelings are brought on because of Haruhi. Yes, it's a lot of rambling about individuality and freedom, but Haruhi is a direct cause of that. Before she joined the host club, there had been nothing but the two of them. If anyone's still confused on the point that I was trying to make, please tell me in your review and I will try to figure out a better explanation! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3: Hanii

Beginning Note: Okay, so this is going better than I had thought

**Beginning Note:** Okay, so this is going better than I had thought. I had a little trouble writing Hanii, but I think that it came out okay. Like Kaoru analyzed how Hikaru felt, I had him analyzing more of Mori's feelings than his own. And, just as Kaoru, he doesn't feel romantic feelings to her. He sees Haruhi more of a sister than anything else. Anyway. Happy reading!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. They are the rightful property of Bisco Hatori. The story itself, however, is completely the workings of my brilliant mind. (cough) Not really.

_The Six Princes_ Chapter 3: Hanii

I stared at the flyer in from of me, brow furrowed. I never realized how hard of a decision this actually was. But, it was all for Chika, so I considered this life altering choice at the top of my list. I slumped in my seat. How could I pick?

"Hanii-senpai, what are you looking at?"

I turned around at the sound Haru-chan's voice.

"Haru-chan!" I cried, leaping into her arms.

She laughed. "It's nice to see you too. Mori-senpai," she said, inclining her head.

Takashi nodded in return.

"You haven't been to the clubroom much, Haru-chan!" I complained, placing my hands on my hips. "Why now?"

She smiled sheepishly as she sat down next to Takashi, but not before giving Kyou-chan a nervous glance. I bet she was thinking how her debt was racking up because of how little time she was spending here.

"Well, I don't want a repeat performance of my third place ranking, so I'm studying for exams."

"Oh! Usa-chan and Takashi make me study." I made a face. "But I don't like to!"

Haru-chan smiled slightly. "I think there are times when no one likes to study. But I'm sure it's good that both Usa-chan and Mori-senpai make you study."

I giggled, hugging Usa-chan tightly to my chest, his ears tickling my nose. "That's true. I like being first. It means an extra piece of cake for me!"

Shaking her head, Haru-chan asked. "What were you looking at before, Hanii-senpai? You looked like you were thinking really hard."

I nodded vigorously.

"Uh huh!" I exclaimed. "Maybe you can help me."

"Uh, I'll see what I can do," she said carefully.

I pushed the flyer across that table at her.

"I can't decide which type of cake to choose! Wah! This is a hard choice."

"Well, you could always buy both," she suggested.

Takashi grunted in agreement.

"NOOOOO!" I cried, holding out the word. "I told Chika that I would only get one! What should I do? Takashi was no help!"

Haru-chan shot Takashi a quick and him look slightly guilty. The corner of her mouth twitched.

"Well, between chocolate and strawberry…" She put a finger to her chin. "I'd say strawberry."

I saw Takashi smile out of the corner of my eye. He loved strawberries. Seemingly insignificant information like that gave me clues about him. He had given up his strawberries to Haru-chan the day we went to visit. He _never_ did that. It was quite obvious to me that Takashi's passion wasn't limited to serving the Haninozuka family.

"Are you sure, Haru-chan? They both look so good! I don't know how you can choose!"

Haru-chan laughed. "Well, I would choose the strawberry one because I love them so much," she explained.

Takashi's smile widened and I saw him give her a tender look. I was so happy that he cared so much about Haru-chan. He had more purpose, it seemed. When he thought I wasn't looking, he'd sneak protective glances at Haru-chan.

She was like a sister to me and I loved her very much. I, like Takashi, would protect her in anyway I could. Just because I don't look tough doesn't mean that I'm not capable of taking care of my friend, especially one as vulnerable as Haru-chan.

I sighed, pulling Usa-chan closer to my chest. "That makes a lot of sense." I thought about my dilemma. "Or, I could buy both, but save the other for another time!"

Haru-chan stared at me in amazement and then dissolved into uncontrollable laughter, throwing back her head. She traded a look with Takashi, who just shrugged. He was used to dilemmas like this. The rest of the host club turned their heads curiously to see why she was laughing so hard.

"You're too much, Hanii-senpai," Haru-chan said, ruffling my hair affectionately.

I smiled up at her warmly before she was pulled away by Hika-chan and Kao-chan. I sat down in her vacated seat.

"Haru-chan is really great, isn't she?" I said slyly, hoping to catch Takashi off guard.

"Hmmm," he hummed in agreement, watching with worry as she was assaulted but Kao-chan and Hika-chan, Tama-chan chasing after them.

"I know you two will be happy together," I said absently, staring at the delicious looking cakes on my flyer.

"Wha?" Takashi exclaimed. "What are you taking about?"

I smiled to myself and held Usa-chan up to eye level.

"I think it's time for a nap, don't you, Usa-chan?" I hopped off the chair.

"Mitsukuni, you-" Takashi trailed off, half standing with his large palms resting against the table.

I just gave him a knowing look and he settled himself back into his chair. I was pretty sure I saw a slight blush on his cheeks and a small, satisfied smile.

I curled up on the sofa, thinking. It was nice watching someone's love develop, especially people who were made perfectly for each other. Haru-chan and Takashi had a special way of communicating without speaking. And she always understood his actions when no one else did. He may not say a lot, but she knew exactly what he was trying to say, even if his mouth never opened.

My eyelids fluttered shut. Ah. Love was so beautiful and no one deserved it more than those two.

"Night, Usa-chan," I sighed. "This should be fun."

**A/N:** The whole Takashi and strawberries thing came from _The Shomin Experience_. In the story, he loves them, and for some reason, that small thing has been with my since then. I would like to credit that to author **sakuraichigo**. I don't want to be praised for her original idea, and I hope that she doesn't mind that I used it for this chapter. Please, go read her amazing story. It was the inspiration for this story. Thank you, sakuraichigo for giving me permission for using her strawberry idea!!


	4. Chapter 4: Hikaru

**Beginning Note:** Okay… So I've been extremely lax on a story that should have been finished ages ago. I apologize. A lot… I would have updated sooner if my laptop were not out of commission with about 30+ different viruses… Okay… On to the story and hopefully my touch hasn't faded. That would be devastating.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. They are the rightful property of Bisco Hatori. The story itself, however, is completely the workings of my brilliant mind. (cough) Not really.

**The Six Princes** Chapter 4: Hikaru

A heavy sigh escaped my lips, prompting a confused glance from Kaoru. I couldn't do it. I had tried to find the courage, but there was no possible way I would be able to express how I felt without looking and sounding like an idiot.

Not that Haruhi would notice. She was oblivious to things like that, just as she was oblivious to matters of the heart. She couldn't see how Tono looked at her, being the only person in his sight. Nor did she notice Mori's over-protectiveness that was way beyond normalcy. Even Kyouya was being nice, in his own twisted sort of way.

"Damn it," I muttered, sighing heavily again.

"Enough with the sighing," my twin snapped. "If you're serious, just go up and tell Haruhi. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Kaoru, are you insane?" I asked incredulously. "This is Haruhi we're talking about. Either she won't understand anything, as it usually is with her, or she'll laugh at me. I'm betting on the latter."

"I was actually considering a combination of both," he said thoughtfully. When he saw the look I gave him, he backed off. "Relax, Hikaru. I was kidding."

I rubbed my aching head in frustration. For some reason, the person who was supposed to help me with everything thought it was a good time to sample a career in stand-up comedy.

"I'm not sure of what to do," I confessed to him for the thousandth time, staring at the object of my longing. Haruhi was sitting at Hanii and Mori's table, eating a piece of cake and graciously accepting Mori's uneaten strawberries.

"You could always ask Tono for advice," Kaoru suggested, squinting at our Japanese homework.

"He's an idiot," I scoffed.

"Kyouya?"

"Any information from him would come at a price. Plus, I would feel safer jumping in a pit of cobras than ask him something like that."

"Good point. Hanii?"

"Is your brain even working or did you shut it off for the day?"

"I'm doing _our_ homework, aren't I? So, no. My brain hasn't shut off, thank you very much."

Annoyed and bored out of my mind, I flicked the edge of the worksheet he was scribbling on. Kaoru glared at me.

"You have three choices before I strangle you and become an only child," he ground out, any patience for me completely worn away. "One, just talk to Haruhi and gauge her reaction to you. You've dealt with enough girls here to do that."

"But I never liked those girls in the way I like Haruhi," I interrupted, idly tapping the mechanical pencil had stolen from my self-inflicted insanity against the polished cherry table.

"Two," Hikaru said roughly, ignoring my interjection. "Sit here and mope, but do it in complete silence or help me with the English homework, or three. Talk to Mori."

Those choices sucked, but I would never hurt my other half's feelings that way. I moaned and laid my head on the table with force, creating an even more painful pounding behind my eyes.

_Way to go, Hikaru_, I thought, applauding myself silently.

"Hikaru, are you okay?" came Haruhi's husky voice. "You haven't looked so good in the past few minutes. Do you need anything?"

I rubbed the painful and now visible spot on my forehead. Kaoru gave me a look that said 'Tell her!'

This could be it. This could be the moment that changed everything for me.

"Um, actually, Haruhi, I have a question."

She smiled brightly at me. "Of course! I'll try to answer it the best way possible."

I swallowed hard and saw out of the corner of my eye that Kaoru tried his best to not look interested into what was about to happen.

"Well, um." God. I was screwing this up royally. I sounded like a complete idiot.

Haruhi, oblivious as ever, just started at me with her big, brown eyes.

"Uh, Kaoru and I can't figure out a few of the English questions. Can you help us?" I asked, chickening out.

She looked at us suspiciously. "I thought you already knew English?"

"But not well," I said, giving her an innocent look.

"Okay then!" she chirped happily. "Let me just get my book and I'll help you."

I watched her walk over to her book bag that was leaning against Mori's chair. She smiled apologetically at the older Host Club member. He gave her a rare grin before handing her English textbook to her.

"What the hell was that?" Kaoru hissed. "You blew it!"

"I know!" I lamented, putting my head in my hands. "I just panicked."

"Are you even going to ask her?"

I sighed.

"Eventually," I said as Haruhi walked over.

"Ready for that help?" she asked.

Simultaneously, Kaoru and I slip out chairs next to her.

"Oh, pearl of knowledge," I started out.

"Teach us all you know!" Kaoru finished.

The girl of my affections just rolled her eyes and began to explain the working of the English language to us, even though we knew it perfectly.

I would gain the courage to tell Haruhi how I felt. Someday…


	5. Chapter 5: Tamaki

**Beginning Note:** I figured that I would try and get the rest of these chapters done while I'm still on Spring Break from college. I have more time and it is time for this story to actually be finished. This chapter and Mori's chapter are probably going to be the hardest to write. Wish me luck!!!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. They are the rightful property of Bisco Hatori. The story itself, however, is completely the workings of my brilliant mind. (cough) Not really.

**The Six Princes** Chapter 5: Tamaki

"HARUHIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The shorthaired girl turned around and rolled her eyes, looking exasperated.

"Yes, Tamaki-senpai? I'm really busy for the next few weeks due to finals," she said tiredly. "I don't have time to play around if I want to keep my scholarship."

I felt my lips purse into a frown. I only wanted to spend time with her. "But, my darling daughter, Daddy only wants your companionship for tonight!"

The demon twins, better known as Kaoru and Hikaru, slid over to Haruhi and slipped their arms around her waist.

"But, Tono," they said in unison. "Haruhi thinks you're an idiot, just as we do. Her time would be spent better with us."

"Don't be so mean!" I whined, knowing it would do no good. "Go away, devil twins! Haruhi's father, meaning ME, wants to talk to her without you two interfering."

"But," Haruhi protested. "I don't have time for these games! I have to do well on all my exams or-"

"You'll be stuck with us forever," finished the unofficial Shadow King of the Host Club. He swiftly pushed his glasses higher up on his nose.

Haruhi scowled at Kyouya.

"Yes."

I gave her a startled glance.

"Don't you want to be with us forever? Especially Daddy?" I asked in a small voice, afraid of her answer.

She heaved a sigh.

"Tamaki-senpai," she began, bluntly. "One, you're not my father so stop calling yourself that. And two, we can't be 'family' forever." She air-quoted the word 'family.' "We grow up and go out into the real world. You will be the head of the Suou family one day. I'll just be a commoner lawyer to you. At the end of the day, we're not a family."

The rest of the Host Club stared at Haruhi in astonishment at her utterance. Even Mori eyes were wider than they normally were.

The edges of my vision went dark and the images around me blurred, leaving me with the feeling of being disoriented. Not a family?

"B-b-b-but," I stuttered, unable say anything intelligible.

Haruhi looked guilty. "I'm sorry, Tamaki-senpai, but it's true and we all know it," she said, gesturing to the rest of the Host Club members. They looked away, looking just as guilty as Haruhi did. "I have to go study."

I watched in silence as she stormed out of the music room. What Haruhi said hurt and it hurt badly.

If we weren't a family and I wasn't feeling the love of a father, then what was it that I felt every time I saw her? When the façade of family was stripped away, where did that leave me?

"I think Tono's brain just exploded," I heard Kaoru and Hikaru whisper to Hanii and Mori. Kyouya just sighed and I heard the tapping of Italian leather Armani shoes that signified he was bored and walking away.

I knew that the love I felt for Haruhi was more than friendship. But if it wasn't a fatherly love—

My eyes went wide. It was love, pure and simple. Plain, unadorned love.

I let out a laugh of surprise and walked over to where Kyouya was sitting. It was that simple and beautiful and amazing.

"Kyouya," I began.

"Have you finally realized it?" he asked, not looking up from his ledger.

"What?"

"Have you finally realized your real feelings about Haruhi?"

"You knew?" I asked, surprised that he knew before I even did.

"Honestly, Tamaki," Kyouya sighed. "You are really dense for someone so smart. Everyone in the Host Club knows how you feel about Haruhi, except Haruhi herself. You prance around behind a shield of family, but no one fell for it for a second."

"But—"

"You're going to have competition, you know," he said, peering up at me through his wire-rimmed glasses.

"Competition?" I asked, bewildered. _More_ members of the Host Club loved Haruhi the same way I did?

"Yes. Me included."

He smirked when I looked at hi in shock. "You?"

"Yes, as well as Hikaru and I suspect Mori. You better be prepared to put up a good fight."

I straightened and looked down at him, offering my best friend my hand. He grasped it firmly.

"You can count on it."

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope it's okay. Sorry if there is any OCC-ness and I'll see you in the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6: Mori

**Beginning Note:** My original plan had been to get this done over my Spring Break. That obviously did not happen. Instead, I finished it at 3:30 in the morning during my final exam period. Good thing I don't have an exam until Monday. Here is one of my favorite characters besides Kyouya. I love this ship and totally hate the canon with Tamaki. Love him, don't love the fact that he loves Haruhi and she loves him too. Booo.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. They are the rightful property of Bisco Hatori. The story itself, however, is completely the workings of my brilliant mind. (cough) Not really.

**The Six Princes** Chapter 6: Mori

I am not a person who uses words liberally, so when I speak (may it be monosyllabic) or even make a noise, people listen. But the also make assumptions. They assume I practice stoicism, which is an untruth. I feel pleasure and I feel pain, I have just learned over the years that there is a time and a place to show them. Few people actually understand this and those few are the people I hold most dear.

I let a soft sigh escape my normally tightly closed lips, causing Mitsukuni, who was one of the few people who understood my reasons for limited talking, to glance up from his vanilla frosted cake. He looked at me, curiosity apparent on his enormous, honey-colored eyes.

"What's the matter, Takashi?" he asked, adjusting Usa-chan on his lap.

My eyes flicked to the left and he followed my gaze until it reached another person who understood my silences. A small smile appeared on his lips, which made me feel slightly nervous. He was extremely perceptive and already knew about my feelings, as well as the feelings of the other club members.

"Ah. Haru-chan," he stated matter-of-factly. "Just because Kyou-chan, Tama-chan, and Hiku-chan love her doesn't mean you should put your feelings aside, Takashi."

I grunted my disagreement.

"Haru-chan understands you more than anyone in this club besides me!" Mitsukuni exclaimed, chastising me. "You should know that!"

"But – "

"You love her and you need to tell her. I think you hold a special place in Haru-chan's heart, but you're so willing to put everyone else's feelings above yours, you don't realize it."

I stared at my cousin and then glanced back at Haruhi, who was being assaulted on both sides, Kaoru and Hikaru on her right and Tamaki on her left. When I turned back to Mitsukuni, he was smiling widely.

"You see now?"

I nodded weakly, my ears red with embarrassment. I did see it. I was in love with her. Completely and totally. And Mitsukuni was right, as he usually was. I did put the feelings of my peers before my own, which was something that I had been taught from the cradle, knowing full well that they would not do the same for me.

"Should I tell her?"

"That's up to you, Takashi."

"But…" I faded off, looking at my fellow Host Club members.

Mitsukuni sighed. "Takashi, listen to me. You deserve to be happy." He shifted his gaze to Haruhi and smiled widely. "You're more her knight-in-shining armor than anyone else in this room."

"Mmm," I hummed softly, watching her struggle to pull her hand from Hikaru and Kaoru's grip.

I saw the danger before anyone else did. As she gave one last tug, finally relinquishing the twin's grip on her arm, the momentum threw her off balance and sent her flying backwards towards the sharp edge of an ornate coffee table.

"Haruhi…" I breathed, shooting up so quickly that I overturned my chair.

Everything happened in slow motion before me. Haruhi's terrified face and the looks of horror on the rest of the Host Club's faces. If she hit her neck on that sharp edge, she would die.

"Takashi," whispered Mitsukuni, voice frightened.

I raced over to her, my long legs taking me across the room in seconds, and threw myself between her and the sharp edge of the table. I wrapped my arms tightly around Haruhi's thin, fragile body. I grunted as I hit the table with more force than I had originally thought. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I felt her grip my school shirt tightly.

"Mori-senpai."

"Are you okay?" I asked, gazing into her wide brown eyes.

"Oh! Yes, I'm fine. Are you okay, Mori-senpai?"

I shifted, feeling a sharp pain in my side and something wet sliding down my back and side.

"Ah! You're bleeding!" she cried.

I glanced down and noted the spreading bloodstain on my pristine while school shirt. Crap.

"Haruhi!" exclaimed Tamaki, rushing to where we were. "Daddy's here!"

She turned with ferocity, still encircled in my arms.

"Not now, senpai," she snapped. "Mori-senpai's hurt and bleeding. I'm taking him to the nurse, so clean up the mess that you and the twins made."

I saw a sly smile spread across Kyouya's face and an eyebrow raised as he wrote something in his ever-present ledger. He looked amused at Haruhi's tone of voice. Tamaki, Kaoru, and Hikaru, however, looked shocked. As Haruhi pulled me to my feet with some difficulty, they began to meekly clean up the mess.

"Hold your side to stop the bleeding," she advised me as we left the clubroom and headed towards the infirmary.

I obeyed with a nod of my head and applied pressure to the sluggishly bleeding wound. I hissed quietly through my teeth as pain shot through my side. My vision went blurry for a few seconds and then I saw white spots, dotting the hallway. That couldn't be good. I let out a small groan, as pain laced through my body again. Haruhi eyed me worriedly, picking up her pace.

"We're almost there," she promised, sounding slightly tearful.

I wanted to tell her not to cry, but could only say, "Ah."

'Idiot,' I thought as we walked into the empty infirmary. 'That's all you can say?"

"Oh ma," she muttered, glancing around the empty room. "The nurse isn't here." She turned to me. "I guess I'm going to have to myself."

I watched her as she flitted around the office, pulling rubbing alcohol, peroxide, and gauze off shelves and out of drawers. She talked to herself as she laid everything down on a rolling table. I stood in the middle of the room, lost in a haze of pain.

I swayed on my feet. Haruhi grabbed my arm and guided my to one of the many beds in the room.

"Sit," she ordered while wetting a flimsy lace handkerchief. I looked pointedly at the fabric. She rolled her eyes. "Ranka."

The bed creaked under my weight as I sat and I hoped it wouldn't collapse.

"Um, Mori-senpai," Haruhi said, fidgeting. I gazed at her, my side throbbing. "You need to take your, uh, shirt off." She flushed and looked away.

"Ah." I tried to hide my grimace as I tried to pull off my shirt. A quiet gasp stopped me.

"Oh! That must hurt! I'm sorry," she sputtered, helping me removed the shirt. "I wasn't thinking and didn't realize it/

I stayed deathly still as she wiped the blood off my back and side, swallowing hard at the awkwardness of the situation.

I shivered slightly as her fingertips ghosted over my skin, checking the gash and I felt my face warm up.

"The good news is that you don't need stitches," Haruhi said, glancing at the puckered and ragged flesh with a smile, pouring some peroxide onto a cotton pad.

"Bad news?" I asked, flinching as the peroxide stung.

"You're going to be in pain for a while. And you'll probably have a huge bruise."

"Oh."

"Um, Mori-senpai?"

"Hmm," I hummed, practically purring as I enjoyed the feeling of Haruhi wrapping the gauze around my chest after she applied the rubbing alcohol.

"Thank you for helping me," she said quietly, tying a knot in the gauze. "You're always there to save me."

I felt a wide smile split my face and I chuckled slightly. "You're very welcome, Haruhi." I paused, hesitant to say what I said next. "And I'll always be there to save you."

Haruhi's smile slid off her face at the out of character statement into a look of shock.

"Wha –"

I shook my head and put a finger to her lips, before she finished her statement. She fell silent and stared at me with her huge, beautiful, and brilliant brown eyes. She had no idea how beautiful she was and how she entranced not only me, but also the entire Host Club with her unfeminine charm. She made me do things that I normally wouldn't even think of doing.

With that thought in mind, I leaned over and placed a light kiss on her soft lips, knowing that I had the advantage over Kyouya (who I deemed to be my biggest threat), Tamaki (who was second after Kyouya), and Hikaru (who would most likely never gain the courage it took to confess) because I just made a bold move.

"Mori-senpai, I –"

"Takashi."

"What?" Haruhi asked, startled and bright red.

"Call me Takashi."

"Takashi-senpai." I smiled at her resistance. "I don't know what to say. I, uh, wasn't expecting that."

I smirked slightly at her as I got up and headed to the door, buttoning up my bloody school shirt. I paused and turned back to her.

"Haruhi, I know I may not say much a lot of the time." She quickly covered her grin with a hand. "But I felt that we needed to be on equal footing and that should understand how I feel."

"Takashi-senpai," Haruhi began. "I'm really not good with, you know. This." She gestured between the two of us with her hands.

"I'm not going to rush you into anything, Haruhi," I said slowly, still facing her. "I will wait until you figure out your feelings."

"But –"

"I am a patient man," I said, leaning on the opening into the infirmary. "I can wait for your answer."

Haruhi padded over to me and looked up into my eyes. "You do realize that you've completely thrown me for a loop. You would be the last person I would ever have figured to do something like that."

I smiled down at her, eager for the future. "I'm surprisingly surprising."

She laughed brightly and shook her head.

"I can tell this will be interesting."

**A/N:** It's finally done and the story has come to an end. Be sad, all of you!!! Just kidding. Thank you for reading this story and I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry if Mori seems out of character. It's more of him coming out of his shell to let Haruhi grasp his feelings.


End file.
